1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an audio signal processing apparatus having functions to assign channels to manipulators provided on a manipulation panel and to set and change values of parameters of the assigned channels through manipulation of the manipulators.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is known an audio signal processing apparatus which includes a plurality of channel strips, each including manipulators such as a fader, a rotary encoder, and various buttons and assigns input channels to the channel strips and allows the user to adjust the values of various parameters of an input channel through manipulators on a channel strip corresponding to the input channel. For example, the following Non-Patent Reference 1 (see Section 4: Basic Manipulation of Input Channel) describes, on pages 32 and 33, a console of an audio mixing system in which layer data is assigned to each channel strip portion including an array of channel strips and the assigned layer data is switched to make it possible to control many channels using a limited number of channel strips. The term “layer data” refers to data defined to specify channels (assignment channels) which are to be assigned to channel strips included in a channel strip portion.
Patent Reference 1 describes a mixer that allows a user to create user layer data separately from default layer data provided by the manufacturer. That is, the mixer allows the user to specify channels (assignment channels) assigned to channel strips included in a channel strip portion to create a piece of user layer data. Channel strips, for which assignment channels are not specified but instead “current state hold” is specified, may be set in the user layer data. For example, when the layer data calling state has been switched from the calling state of first layer data to that of second layer data (which is referred to as user layer data), previous assignment channels of the first layer data are kept unchanged for each channel strip for which “current state hold” is specified in the second layer data.
[Patent Reference 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-227761
[Non-Patent Reference 1] DIGITAL AUDIO MIXING SYSTEM PM1D, CONSOLE SURFACE CS1D, MANIPULATION MANUAL (BASIC MANIPULATION), 2002, YAMAHA
However, for example, the user desires a channel, to which vocals or the like are assigned, to be always assigned to a specific channel strip on the panel since there is a need to always monitor or frequently adjust the vocal channel. The user may also need to use other channel strips while switching assignment of various channels to the other channel strips. For example, in the case where eight channel strips 1 to 8 are provided on the manipulation panel, the user may need to adjust the vocal channel always using the channel strip 8 while switching assignment of various channels to the other channel strips.
In this case, layer data is set in one layer according to the conventional technology. That is, only current values of channels assigned to channel strips are recorded (stored) in the current memory and the current values stored in the current memory are overwritten (rewritten) with values of newly selected layer data. Thus, if layer data is switched, then assignments of all 8 channel strips are changed, causing inconvenience of use. Of course, it is possible to cope with the above need by fixing the channel strip 8 to the vocal channel, previously creating several pieces of user layer data specifying assignment of various combinations of channels to the channel strips 1 to 7, and then switching the several pieces of user layer data. Using the technology of Patent Reference 1, it is also possible to cope with the above need by initially calling layer data, which specifies assignment of the vocal channel to the channel strip 8, and then specifying the channel strip 8 as “current state hold” in user layer data that is called thereafter. However, the user has to conduct a troublesome task of previously creating a plurality of such user layer data. Specifically, it is very troublesome for the user to create user layer data while carefully watching which channel strip is used for the vocal channel. In addition, when the channel strip to which the vocal channel is assigned has been changed, the user should rewrite all user layer data that have been created up to that time.